A Curious Twist of Fate
by WildheartTheWarrior
Summary: Hollyleaf felt her claws dig into the stone, felt the darkness of the tunnels pressing menacingly against her. "Who are you?" she challenged. "No one of consequence," replied the voice from the dark...Warriors/Phantom of the Opera Crossover.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Okay, so this idea just popped into my head one day. I've never seen anything like this before, so I figured I'd write something up to see what people think!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors, or The Phantom of the Opera.**

* * *

StarClan, at the best of times, was a peaceful place. Their hunting grounds were kept in a state of perpetual green-leaf, where the stars shone, prey was plentiful, and there was a serene glow that enveloped the starry forest.

But this was not the best of times. An unusually chilly breeze hissed through the leaves, blowing them about in a slow whirl of color. The stars that hung in the sky above were unusually dim, their brilliant glow dulled slightly.

For something had happened in the world of the Clans. Something unexpected, unexplainable—something that not even the wisest of StarClan could have predicted.

In a rock-strewn hollow sat a multitude of cats. Their pelts were sleek; stars glittered in their pelt like leaf-bare frost. But their expressions were anxious. Uneasy whispers passed between them. Every gaze was trained on the starlit pool in the center of the clearing.

Finally, a solemn blue-gray she-cat got to her paws. "You all know why we're here," she meowed, loudly enough so that every cat could hear her.

"I wonder why," rasped a ratty gray she-cat with a broad, flattened face. "It couldn't _possibly_ be because of the Twoleg who appeared out of nowhere in our forest?"

The whispering grew in volume.

"A Twoleg?"

"What do you mean, appeared?"

"How is that possible?"

The standing she-cat flicked her tail for silence. "Yes," she meowed. "A Twoleg." A strange look came over her face. "Or…at least, he _was…"_

"Was?" A mottled brown tom tilted his head, green eyes narrowed. "What do you mean he _was_ a Twoleg, Bluestar?"

The blue-gray she-cat looked uncomfortable. "He…is no longer a Twoleg," she meowed. "He—"

"He's a cat," the ratty she-cat finished.

Surprised murmurs spread around the clearing. But Bluestar wasn't finished. "There's more," she continued, ears pinning backwards. "He isn't like the other Twolegs we've seen." Turning towards the pool in the center of the clearing, she flicked her tail.

The water shifted and moved, seemingly of its own accord. And across its surface, an image rippled into being.

It was no forest, that was for sure. The pool reflected the inside of what could only be described as the biggest Twoleg nest any of them had ever seen. The whole place glowed with light, and it was filled with the chattering of Twolegs in brightly-colored pelts.

But not one cat's eye was fixed on the gathering of Twolegs. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the scene that was unfolding in a dimly-lit space above it all.

A scruffy-looking male Twoleg was darting across a strange hanging bridge, dodging through tangled bits of an odd-looking vine. It was hard to tell expressions with Twolegs, but this one looked terrified out of its mind.

Behind it, in the shadows, a shape shifted; there was another, taller male Twoleg pursuing the first. The only things that distinguished it from the darkness around it were the occasional flashes of its dark pelt and the soft creak of wood. And it was all too clear that this one was aiming to kill.

The starry-pelted warriors watched as the first Twoleg, in his fear, scrambled clumsily up one of the vine-like things to another ledge. But the shadowy figure followed, scaling up after the other one with the agility of a cat. The dark Twoleg sprang onto the hanging-bridge after the fleeing one. And before his prey could get away, it seized one of the vines and jerked it to the side.

The hanging-bridge lurched beneath the two. The first Twoleg lost his balance, tumbling down onto all fours. But the dark figure was upon it before it could scramble back to its paws. The scruffy Twoleg let out a yowl of fear, trying vainly to escape. But the other would have none of that. It pulled another vine-like thing from beneath its pelt. And before the other could move, it had pulled it around his fellow's throat.

The scruffy Twoleg's yowls were cut off abruptly. It flailed its huge paws, trying to rip it away, to save itself. The second Twoleg pulled the vine ever-tighter.

Finally, after what seemed moons, the victim's throes ceased. Without another sound, the shadow-shrouded Twoleg pushed it over the edge.

The air was suddenly filled with the frightened wails of the other Twolegs. As the remaining figure straightened, watching the chaos unfold below, a stray ray of light hit its face.

Its face was pale, as if it had never seen the light of day. The fur on its head was dark and sleek, and yellow eyes glowered coolly down at the mayhem below. But unlike the other Twolegs, this one had something strange and white over part of its face.

And unlike the other Twolegs, who were screeching and running about in a panic, it looked utterly calm. Emotionless. Remorseless.

Without another sound, it turned on its heel and vanished into the darkness. The starry pool rippled, and the scene disappeared.

Whispers of shock and horror hissed around the rocky clearing as the cats of StarClan took it all it.

"_This_ is the Twoleg?" snarled a dark brown tabby, his ragged fur hanging in patches from his pelt. "This is the monster that's been unleashed on our forest?"

"Did you see that?" hissed a black-and-white apprentice, pale amber eyes flashing with horror. "He just killed the other Twoleg like it was nothing!"

_"Quiet!"_ Bluestar's yowl finally silenced the rest of the StarClan cats, her sapphire gaze piercing the crowd. "As you saw," she meowed, "this Twoleg poses a potential threat. Some kind of action must be taken."

"Action?" The rag-pelted tabby curled his lip. "He's a murderer! We need to get rid of him!"

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" a large white tom replied evenly. "We can't exactly kill him, can we?"

"That would make us no better than him!" retorted a thick-pelted golden tom.

The clearing broke out into tense chatter again as they began to argue amongst themselves. Bluestar raised her voice, unsuccessfully trying to regain control of the crowd.

"I think we should give him a chance."

Everyone turned to stare at the ginger tom, who suddenly flattened his ears against the attention he was receiving. "Go ahead, Flametail," Bluestar said calmly, ears pricked to hear what he had to say.

The former ShadowClan cat swallowed. "Well," he meowed, raising his green gaze to meet his Clanmates', "we all saw what he did. He killed another Twoleg and thought nothing of it." He took a deep breath. "But why are we going to punish him for something he hasn't even done?" He moved his gaze to his paws. "I think…that we should wait before we decide what to do about him."

The rest of the clearing had gone silent as they pondered the idea.

"It's an interesting idea, Flametail," the blue-gray she-cat meowed thoughtfully. "Wait and see what the Twoleg does before we do anything about it."

"I agree." A pretty, amber-eyed tortoiseshell spoke up, glancing over at Flametail. "Here we are, trying to decide his fate before he's even done anything to deserve it."

"He's a killer," growled a voice. "That should be enough of a reason."

"But he hasn't killed yet," the tortoiseshell responded. "We can't predict what he's going to do. If we get rid of him, then we destroy any chance there is of him proving us wrong."

Bluestar nodded slowly. Then she lifted her head to face the whole of StarClan. "All those in favor of suspending judgement?" she asked.

There was a collective mutter from the crowd. But slowly, most of them murmured agreement.

"Very well," Bluestar said, flicking her tail. "We will suspend our judgement on this Twoleg until he deserves it." With that, she sat down once more.

Almost as quickly as they had come, the cats of StarClan turned and disappeared into the shadows of the starry forest. Only three cats remained: Bluestar herself, the old gray she-cat, and the tortoiseshell.

"Well, that went surprisingly well," the old cat grumbled, twisting around to groom her perpetually matted fur.

Bluestar sighed. "Now we have no choice but to wait," she meowed. Her gaze moved above the clearing. "I wonder…did we make the right choice? What if this Twoleg affects things more than we know?"

The tortoiseshell blinked. "You're worried about the prophecy," she said.

Bluestar smiled solemnly. "You know me too well, Spottedleaf." Her gaze wandered to the pool again. "Yes, I'm worried about the Three." Her gaze darkened. "And the danger that awaits them."

Spottedleaf moved to sit by her former leader, ears pricked as she listened.

"The Dark Forest is becoming stronger by the day," Bluestar continued. "The more we wait, the more their power grows." She sighed. "And this Twoleg…he feels no remorse for his actions. He may end up causing more harm than we realize."

The gray she-cat finally looked up from her grooming. "Who knows what will happen?" she meowed, getting to her paws. A look of sorrow flashed briefly across her face. "Even the most evil of cats have their redeeming qualities."

Bluestar nodded. As she watched the pool, another image glimmered across its surface. There, reflected in the water was the very Twoleg whose fate had just been decided. Held in his arms was a smaller, limp figure—a younger, female Twoleg with thick brown head fur. But instead of the cold, unfeeling expression he had worn when he killed the other Twoleg, his expression was warm and kind as he gently placed the female Twoleg down on its nest. After carefully arranging her so that she was comfortable, he left her where she was, slumbering peacefully under his care.

The three star-pelted cats continued to watch even as the last of the ripples washed it away.

* * *

**Just so you know, a) the Phantom aspect of this story is based mostly off of the musical version with some smatterings of the book and the movie thrown in, and b) the story takes place during The Forgotten Warrior. It'll go AU a little farther along in the story.  
**

**On a side note, bonus points to whoever names the StarClan cameos in this chapter! Most of them are pretty easy.**


	2. Out of the Ordinary

The mouse nibbled contentedly, its beady black eyes fixed on the seed held between its paws. A soft breeze gently ruffled its short brown fur.

It didn't notice the pair of green eyes that watched it quietly from the bushes.

The black she-cat drew herself slowly forward pawstep by pawstep, her tail twitching gently. Not a sound was made as she crept ever closer to her unsuspecting prey.

Tensing her haunches, she flicked her tail once and leapt through the air. By the time the mouse's head lifted, it was far too late. The mouse fell under her paws without a single squeak. Her paws pinned it skillfully to the ground beneath her. In one bite, she had ended its life.

She let out a purr of satisfaction in helping to provide for her Clan.

And then she looked up and saw where she was.

Not far from where she stood, the creek that marked the border between ThunderClan and WindClan burbled merrily on its was across the forest.

And she remembered.

_She remembered how silently she had moved through the night, cold gaze fixed on a very different kind of prey. She remembered how her claws had flashed, tearing into flecked gray fur as she took his life. She remembered how she had watched Ashfur bob in the current, his dark blue eyes lifeless and dull. And she remembered how she had simply walked away from the gory scene, her victim's blood washed away by the chilling river._

Hollyleaf flinched away from the memory, shutting leaf-green eyes and she forced the images away. She would _not_ dwell on the past. She couldn't afford to if she was going to help her Clan.

"Good catch."

Hollyleaf jerked and looked over her shoulder to see a massive golden tom watching her, amber eyes thoughtful. She relaxed. "Hello, Lionblaze," she meowed, dipping her head to her brother.

Lionblaze's hard gaze softened. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Hollyleaf took one last glance at the river. For a brief moment, the image of Ashfur, bobbing lifelessly on the water filled her vision. She turned away, shutting her eyes.

"Nothing," she meowed. "Let's get back to camp."

* * *

Hollyleaf padded through the thorn tunnel, shaking out her thick black pelt. Lionblaze shouldered his way in behind her. Cats were milling about the camp, enjoying the last of the warm greenleaf air. Mousefur and Purdy were sprawled outside their den, soaking up the warmth of the mid-morning sun with their heads tilted upwards and their eyes closed. Close to the center of camp, Cherrypaw and Molepaw chattered happily to each other over a plump-looking sparrow. Outside the nursery, Lilykit and Seedkit tussled happily with one another as Sorreltail and Ferncloud watched on with amusement.

Everything about her birth home was so familiar to her—as familiar to her as her own scent. Yet everything was so different. Like a half-forgotten dream, she could still recall the deep, dank darkness of the tunnels that wound beneath the lake. They had been her home for seasons; but she had never forgotten ThunderClan, and to ThunderClan she had returned.

As Hollyleaf crossed to the fresh-kill pile, she could hear her Clanmates whispering quietly to each other, shooting her sideways glances as she lay her mouse down on the ample pile. She tried to ignore them, pushing the thoughts away. But a little nagging voice in the back of her head remained.

_You deserve it,_ it whispered. _You're a murderer, after all._

Hollyleaf forced the voice roughly back into a corner of her mind. As she passed by the knot of warriors, Lionblaze stepped to her side, shooting the group a cool glare as he walked with her. "Ignore them," he said. "They're going to have to stop eventually."

The black she-cat nodded slowly, picking a fat vole from the fresh-kill pile and settling down beside her brother. But as she nibbled on the vole, she couldn't shake the stares that were fixed on her, the uneasy whispering that hissed about the clearing like a chilling wind.

She abruptly got to her paws. "I'm going to see if Jayfeather needs any help," she meowed, striding away from her brother before he could say anything and slipping into her other brother's den.

The floor of the medicine den was covered in herbs—Jayfeather was shuffling around, picking through them. A few mouse-lengths away, Briarlight was sprawled across the cave floor, her back legs splayed awkwardly out behind her as she pulled bundles of leaves together into neat piles.

Jayfeather's ears twitched, though he didn't look up from his work. "Hollyleaf," he said calmly, though there was a flicker of contentment in his cloudy blue gaze.

Briarlight looked up from her sorting. "Hello, Hollyleaf!" she meowed cheerfully, gaze brightening.

Hollyleaf dipped her head to the two. "Jayfeather, I was wondering if…there was anything you needed help with."

The gray tabby rolled his eyes. "I don't think I'll be needing any more help," he growled. "Briarlight is helping me sort herbs, and I already had Cinderheart begging me to let her go collect herbs earlier."

Hollyleaf winced. If her fellow Clanmates weren't gossiping about her, they were gossiping about Cinderheart—and the cat she had once been. Ever since the day she'd revealed herself to be Cinderpelt's past life, she had insisted on helping out in the medicine den as much as she could.

The black she-cat sighed. "Are you sure there's nothing I need help with?" she asked.

Jayfeather shook his head. "I'm fine," he snapped. He lifted his head. "Briarlight, could you check the herb store and make sure we didn't miss anything?"

The crippled she-cat nodded, hauling herself to the back of the cave to check the stores.

Hollyleaf watched her brother work. Now that she watched, he _did_ seem a little distracted. The blind tom looked unusually unfocused on his work—there was a slightly glassy look in his eye, and he was muttering quietly under his breath. He began calmly sorting through a pile of herbs that had been already neatly piled.

"Jayfeather, what's wrong?" she whispered. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm _fine,"_ he insisted. "I just…" He twitched an ear, as if to make sure no one was listening; Briarlight was still sifting through the herb store.

"I've just had a very bad feeling lately," he muttered anxiously, his blue eyes clouded with uneasiness. "I don't know why, but…I'm getting the feeling StarClan is trying to tell me something. That something is wrong."

Hollyleaf's eyes widened. "Jayfeather," she murmured. "You don't think this has something to do with…with _it?"_

She didn't dare mention _it_ by name.

_There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws._

The prophecy that dangled over her brothers' heads, governing their lives. The one that would decide the very fate of the warrior code.

The one she'd once believed she had been a part of.

But the gray tom shook his head. "No…it's not that. It's something else." He narrowed his eyes in frustration. "But I don't know _what."_

Before she could reply, Briarlight pulled herself free of the medicine den. "I found a few more," she announced, gently placing a bundle on the ground.

Jayfeather's head snapped up. "Thank, Briarlight," he meowed, sniffing at the new herbs. "Hollyleaf, why don't you get some rest?" he meowed, one eye flicking in her direction. "It seems like you've had a hard day."

"I—" She sighed. "All right," she meowed. She gave Jayfeather a final glance, but padded out of the den, across the camp and into the warriors' den. Most of the nests were empty, but Toadstep and Thornclaw were both curled up in their respective places. As she passed, both cats lifted their heads. Toadstep's gaze was carefully guarded, but Thornclaw shot her a surly stare, his gaze bleary with sleep. Hollyleaf ignored them, stepping between them and climbing into her own nest.

As her eyes began to slide closed, her mind drifted back to Jayfeather's anxiety

_He said he didn't know why he was so on edge,_ she mused. _So what is it that's causing it? What could StarClan be trying to tell him?_

* * *

"Hollyleaf."

She stirred slightly, her eyelids fluttering as she shifted in her nest.

A paw prodded her side. "Hollyleaf. Wake up."

Hollyleaf opened her eyes, shifting quickly into a sitting position. But she relaxed when she saw that was only Cinderheart. Though the gray she-cat looked the same on the outside, there was a different air about her. Her sapphire-blue eyes looked aged now—they'd lost much of her old youth, making her look as if she was seasons older than she actually was.

Which, in a way, was true. Cinderheart _wasn't_ fully herself anymore. Hollyleaf had been as shocked as the rest of her Clanmates when Cinderheart had discovered the circumstances behind her birth. After all, Cinderheart had been her best friend for most of her life. Finding out that she was really the reincarnation of an old medicine cat tended to change things.

Yet…she knew better than anyone what it was like to be different. Her very birth had shattered the warrior code that she held so dear. She'd killed Ashfur to keep the secret from escaping…but it had been in vain in the end. The secret had gotten out anyway, and she spent moons away from her Clan because of it.

"Hollyleaf!"

The black she-cat jumped again as Cinderheart's voice broke her out of her reverie. "Yes?" she asked, shaking away the last of her sleepiness.

Cinderheart jerked her head towards the den entrance. "Come on," she meowed. "Firestar wants you on a patrol."

Nodding, Hollyleaf got to her paws and followed her friend out. Brambleclaw was waiting by the camp entrance, along with Thornclaw, Birchfall, Toadstep and Mousewhisker. She fought back a growl of annoyance.

_Wonderful,_ she thought. _I'm stuck on a patrol with three of the cats who still think I'm a traitor._

As she approached, Mousewhisker gave her an awkward nod. She returned it respectfully, but her eyes betrayed no emotion. After all, he'd said it himself—they'd been friends before, but he'd made it clear he no longer trusted her.

Brambleclaw nodded. "We're patrolling the ShadowClan border," he informed her. His amber eyes narrowed. "Firestar also wants us to check for Sol."

Hollyleaf dug her claws into the ground as she pictured the loner tom. After everything he'd done, she was more than willing to sink her claws into his treacherous pelt.

Brambleclaw led the way through the thorn tunnel and out into the forest beyond. The air was still warm and pleasant, and Hollyleaf lifted her head to the sunlight. But then a cool wind cut through the trees, and she let out a yelp at the sudden breeze.

_So much for that,_ she thought, fluffing up her pelt against the chill. _Leaf-fall's closer than we thought._

"It's colder than it was earlier," meowed a voice from beside her. Hollyleaf jumped in surprise, but relaxed slightly when she saw it was only Mousewhisker. The gray-and-white tom looked uncomfortable as he tried to make conversation.

Hollyleaf nodded hesitantly, not meeting his gaze. "Yes," she meowed, choosing to instead focus on a leaf that was fluttering in the wind above them.

The two cats were silent as they padded along. Mousewhisker stared at his paws for a few moments before looking up again. "Leaf-bare's going to be here sooner than we know it."

The black she-cat nodded again, ears pinning back uncomfortably. _Why is he trying to talk to me?_ she thought confusedly. _Aren't I "untrustworthy?" After all, Thornclaw seems to think so._ The golden-brown tom kept shooting her glances over his shoulder, as if he expected her to tear out his throat the moment he let his guard down.

Mousewhisker watched her hopefully for a few moments as he waited for a reply. When she never did, he sighed. "Er…Hollyleaf—"

Before he could continue, there was a hiss from the front of the patrol. Brambleclaw was standing still, his neck fur lifting as he smelled the air. "Do you smell that?" he meowed, eyes narrowed.

Hollyleaf lifted her nose to the air, parting her jaws to draw the scent in. Her eyes widened when she caught a whiff of cat-scent. But it didn't belong to any of the Clans. And there was something off about it; was it just her, or did it smell more like Twoleg than cat?

"Rogue!" Thornclaw hissed.

"But it smells like Twoleg," Mousewhisker said thoughtfully. "I've never smelled anything like it before."

Brambleclaw shook his massive head. "Neither have I," he rumbled.

Hollyleaf took a few steps forward, still tasting the air. She followed it along for a few tail-lengths. It led to a small clump of grass and ferns that lay about three fox-lengths away. Something about the place looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't put a claw on it…

And then it hit her. They were close to one of the bordering tunnel entrances. She'd never used it much because it was so out of the way, but she'd known it was there.

Hollyleaf craned her neck, searching among the ferns. And there, half-buried beneath the greenery, was a dark hole in the ground just big enough to fit a cat.

"Everyone!" she meowed, trotting forward. "I think I know where—"

Without warning the ground rumbled under her paws. Hollyleaf's eyes widened, but before she could take a step back the ground gave way beneath her.

She had just enough time to let out a shriek before she was swallowed up by the darkness.

* * *

**I tried to keep everyone in character as much as possible, let me know what you think!  
**


	3. An Encounter in the Tunnels

Pain jolted up Hollyleaf's foreleg as she hit the tunnel floor, crumpling as rock showering down around her. She let out a yelp of pain as a paw-sized chunk bounced off her shoulder. Gasping at the throbbing in her side, she stumbled out of the way of the remaining rubble.

As the dust began to clear, Hollyleaf coughed as she accidentally inhaled a mouthful of the swirling debris. Shaking her head, she blinked furiously and lifted her head to appraise the damage.

"Hollyleaf!"'

The voice drew her gaze upwards again. A few fox-lengths above her, Lionblaze was gazing down into the hole, amber eyes wide as he leaned downward. "Hollyleaf, are you all right?"

Hollyleaf winced as she twisted around to look at her shoulder and side. Both ached with pain, though they didn't seem too damaged. "I…I think so," she called up.

Her brother began to pace back and forth as Brambleclaw's broad head appeared beside him, accompanied by Mousewhisker and the others. The dark tabby looked worried to see her stuck down there. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Hollyleaf nodded up to them. Gritting her teeth, she pulled herself to her paws. By then, Lionblaze stopped pacing, though he continued to peer down at her anxiously.

"It's too deep for her to jump out," Birchfall noted with a frown.

"I can see that," Lionblaze snarled. "Isn't there some way to get her out of there?"

"Maybe we could go back to camp and get help," Mousewhisker reasoned. "Like when Icecloud fell."

"No." Hollyleaf shook her head as the others looked down in surprise. "I can get back to camp on my own."

"What?" Thornclaw looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Hollyleaf forced herself not to roll her eyes at the senior warrior's bemusement. "I know the way back to camp from here. I can walk back."

Most of them appeared satisfied, but both Brambleclaw and Lionblaze looked concerned, and Thornclaw still seemed suspicious.

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Lionblaze asked.

Hollyleaf nodded. "I lived down here for moons," she reminded him. "It's not as if I'll get lost."

_And while I'm at it,_ she thought privately, _I can sniff for any more traces of that rogue scent we found. If there's really another cat down here in the tunnels…_

Finally, Brambleclaw sighed. "If you're sure you feel safe…" He turned to the rest of the patrol. "Let's head back to camp. We'll tell Firestar what we found…and that Hollyleaf will be a little late back to camp." Brambleclaw's head withdrew, as did those of the rest of the patrol. Lionblaze lingered for a few moments longer. Then he, too, followed his Clanmates.

Hollyleaf glanced up at the open sky above. Then, shaking out her pelt, she limped off into the shadows.

* * *

The tunnels were just as dark and dreary as she remembered. As she walked along, she remembered how she had spent her moons—hunting for small fish in the underground river, exploring the vast network of tunnels, and "patrolling" her borders with Fallen Leaves.

Hollyleaf sighed. Thinking about the ginger-and-white tom only made her feel lonelier down here. Fallen Leaves had been her source of comfort for moons on end, keeping her from thinking about everything she had left behind…and everything she had done. She didn't know how she would have survived without him.

The black she-cat suddenly froze. Had it been her imagination, or had she just heard a noise in the darkness? It could have been the clatter of falling stones—but stones didn't just _clatter_ for no reason at all. And were those pawsteps in the shadows?

Hollyleaf's fur stood on end. The rogue-smell returned to her mind. What if the owner of the strange scent _was_ here in the tunnels? What if he was watching her, right now?

She sniffed the air. Nothing but the smell of earth, stones, and cold. Hollyleaf shivered. "Who's there?" she challenged. Her call echoed off the tunnel walls, repeated itself endlessly as it faded out of hearing. There was no reply.

Until she spotted a pair of surprised green eyes glittering in the dark. _Familiar_ green eyes.

"Hollyleaf?" the cat whispered.

Hollyleaf's eyes widened in surprise. A spark of joy flashed through her heart, and she smiled. "Fallen Leaves!" she meowed, leaping forward to greet the ginger tom.

Fallen Leaves' eyes lit up with joy as he stepped forward to greet her. "It is you!" he said excitedly, bounding from the side tunnel to meet her with a smile on his face. "Have you come to visit me?" he asked hopefully.

Hollyleaf's face fell slightly at his eagerness. "Actually, I fell into the tunnels," she answered. "I decided to get back to ThunderClan this way."

Fallen Leaves' smile disappeared. "Oh," he said, sounding disappointed.

Hollyleaf couldn't help but pity the poor cat. He'd been trapped in the tunnels for far longer than she had, and he hadn't had anyone for company until she had found her way in. She smiled kindly at the tom. "It's nice to see you again, though," she told him.

The ginger-and-white tom brightened a bit. "It's good to see you, too, Hollyleaf." After a few moments, he glanced down the tunnel. "Hollyleaf," he asked. "Since you're going through the tunnels…do you mind if I walk with you?"

Hollyleaf blinked in surprise. But she smiled at him again. "Of course," she said, flicking his shoulder with her tail. The two began to make their way through the tunnels, side by side with the walls pressing against their fur. The pain in Hollyleaf's began to throb again, but she ignored it. She didn't want to give Fallen Leaves a reason to worry.

"How are you?" Fallen Leaves asked, voice full of curiosity. "How is your home? Is it as wonderful as you remembered it?"

Hollyleaf thought back to the camp that waited for her. She thought of her Clanmates, most of whom didn't even trust her anymore. She thought of her two brothers and her best friend, all of whom had their own tangled destinies to deal with. Most of all, she thought of Squirrelflight and Leafpool—the two cats who had lied to her for her entire life.

"It is," she replied lightly. She pushed her other feelings away.

Fallen Leaves grinned again. "I'm glad you're happy," he told her. His green eyes suddenly took on a tinge of sadness. "I wish that…I would be able to see it," he said forlornly. "This place that makes you so happy."

"Maybe one day you could," Hollyleaf said. "One day I could show it to you."

Fallen Leaves stiffened, and she continued. I know you don't like to leave," she said. "But maybe I could show it to you from the ridge. You wouldn't have to travel far, and you could return after you see it. I think you would like it."

Fallen Leaves was very quiet. He opened his jaws, as if to answer, but closed them again. His green eyes were filled with grief. "I'm sorry," he said. "I would love to see it, I really would." He turned his face away. "But I can't leave. I…I just _can't."_

Hollyleaf's heart twisted with pity. After all this time, he still believed he had to stay. "Fallen Leaves—"

Suddenly he stopped dead, ears twitching. "Wait," he said. "Listen."

At that moment, another sound broke the air—the sound of pebbles clattering in the same way she had heard before. And this time, she was absolutely certain about the sound of pawsteps on the stone.

Fallen Leaves suddenly pushed her backwards, towards a side tunnel. "Quiet," he whispered, eyes hard as the stone around them as they ducked down the small offshoot.

The pawsteps grew closer. Whatever it was moved in a strange, uneven rhythm, as if it were unsteady on its paws or limping. Hollyleaf shot Fallen Leaves a quizzical look, but then she lifted her head and sniffed the air with shock. There, in the tunnel they had just been walking in, was the exact same scent the patrol had found in the forest—and it carried the slightest tinge of blood. She let out a tiny gasp, but Fallen Leaves quickly hushed her, pointing with his tail.

At first, Hollyleaf didn't know what he was doing. But then she noticed it: the shifting of something in the tunnel as it moved through the shadows—something blacker than the darkness around it. And as he watched, she was almost certain she spotted the quickest flash of a pair of yellow eyes.

The sound of pawsteps slowly faded away, but Hollyleaf didn't dare move until she was certain the cat was gone. Then she turned to Fallen Leaves with wide eyes. "Fallen Leaves, what _was_ that? _Who_ was that?"

The ginger-and-white tom looked troubled. For a few heartbeats, he didn't speak at all.

"I should have mentioned it before," he said anxiously. "I didn't think it would matter…"

"What wouldn't matter?" Hollyleaf pressed.

Fallen Leaves turned to look her right in the eyes. "Hollyleaf, there is another cat in the tunnels."

* * *

**Meh, I don't like how this chapter turned out -_- But tell me what you think of it!****  
**


	4. The Mystery Deepens

**A/N: My sincerest apologies to anyone who was actually reading this story! School caught up with me, and I honestly lost inspiration for this story for a little while. But I'm going to try to work on this story some more, because I really don't want this to be one of those stories that ends up staying half-finished forever :P**

**Again, I apologize for the wait and the shortness of the chapter. Hopefully we'll be able to see more updates for this soon :)**

* * *

Hollyleaf's fur began to bristle. "Another cat?" she repeated suspiciously.

Hollyleaf blinked into the darkness. "Where did he come from?" she asked bemusedly.

She heard Fallen Leaves shifting in the dark besides her. "That's the strange thing," the tom said, green eyes glowing in the dark. "It's...it's as if he just _appeared_ here. One moment, the tunnels were empty, and the next..." He went thoughtfully silent.

The black she-cat turned to stare off into the shadows of the tunnels. "What else do you know about him?" she inquired curiously.

The ginger-and-white tom shrugged helplessly. "Not much else," he admitted. "I don't know who he is or where he came from, but..." He paused. "Well, he's very strange."

"Strange?" Hollyleaf twisted her head around to look at him bemusedly. "How so?"

Fallen Leaves hesitated. "He's very quiet," he said at last. "The way he moves through the tunnels...he catches me by surprise." He shook his head, and Hollyleaf blinked imploringly. "It's hard to explain," he continued. "One moment, there'll be nothing around in any of the tunnels; no scent, no sound. And the next...he's there. Like a shadow. Some kind of...a ghost. I don't know..."

As she listened, Hollyleaf couldn't help glancing warily around. The darkness around them suddenly seemed much more threatening. There was a strange cat here in the tunnels, a cat who seemingly appeared from nowhere and moved about as silently as a shadow. They knew nothing about him: who he was, where he came from, why he was there, what he wanted...for all they knew, he could have come to bring harm on the Clans...like Sol.

But...then again...what if he was trying to get away from something? What if he was fleeing from some home, somewhere, where brothers and kin waited in confusion for him to return...or worse, _didn't_ wait and turned their backs on the cat they had once called kin...

What if he was like _her_?

Hollyleaf's ears flattened. "Fallen Leaves?" she asked.

"Yes?" he replied curiously.

She glanced up at the tom, green eyes shining in the dark of the tunnel. "I'd like you to do something for me."

The ginger-and-white tom blinked, and Hollyleaf took a deep breath. "If you can…I need you to keep an eye on this rogue. We need to know if he's dangerous or not. If you can…could you try to follow him? See what he does, how he acts…"

Fallen Leaves nodded. "Of course, my friend," he said. "I'll try to find out as much as I can about him." He paused. "If you'd like…I can try to talk to him."

Hollyleaf smiled quietly. "Thank you, Fallen Leaves," she told him. "If you can find out why this cat is here…well, we'll have part of the mystery solved."

Her mind drifted back to the strange figure they had seen as she continued to limp along through the dark. She hadn't been able to see much of the cat before it had been swallowed up by the passages—but she was almost certain she'd seen that pair of yellow eyes, glinting in the deep shadow…

Finally, she began to feel the gentle caress of fresh, clean air on her muzzle. The blackness of the caverns began to lighten to a soft gray light. The hard stone floor beneath their paws began to steepen as they approached the hole in the rock where the tunnels opened up into the world above.

The two cats stood there, between the open air of ThunderClan territory above them and the cold dampness of the network of tunnels below. Hollyleaf turned back to the other cat with a small smile on her face. "Thank you for helping me out, Fallen Leaves," she said, dipping her head.

The young tom beamed back, his features clearly visible in the light. "You're welcome, Hollyleaf," he replied. "It was nice to see you again."

Warmth for her friend welled up in her chest. "It was nice to see you, too," she said. Taking one last look at Fallen Leaves, she began to walk up the tunnel and out into the open air.

"Hollyleaf?"

The black she-cat paused in surprise, turning to face the other cat. Fallen Leaves looked slightly uncertain as he stared up at her. "Do you…do you think that…maybe you could visit me again?"

Hollyleaf blinked in surprise. "Visit you?" she repeated curiously. She almost winced. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to get out enough," she said.

Fallen Leaves flinched as if he'd been struck. "Oh," he said. "All right." He turned his face away, but Hollyleaf could already see the pain in his face. Sorrow and sympathy for Fallen Leaves made her heart clench with pity. The poor tom had been living alone in the tunnels for years, without any contact from any other living soul. It would be enough to drive a cat mad—she knew it would have if it had been her. And he'd kept her sane for so many moons…

"Fallen Leaves?" she called. He paused. "I…I'll try to come and visit you more often," she told him, trying to convey her sincerity in her gaze.

The ginger-and-white tom beamed. "Thank you, Hollyleaf," he said. His joy was plain on his face, and she smiled back at him. "Hopefully next time it won't be by falling through the roof," she said.

Fallen Leaves laughed. He dipped his head once more. "Goodbye, Hollyleaf," he said.

"Goodbye, Fallen Leaves," she replied. "And thank you!"

The tom smiled at her once more. Then he turned and disappeared into the darkness once more. The last Hollyleaf saw of him was a ginger tail slipping around the corner, and the tunnels had swallowed him up.

The black she-cat blinked her green eyes once. Then, taking a breath, she hauled herself out of the shadows and back into the light of the world above.

* * *

_Anguish._

_He staggered across cracked stone, shivering as sobs of grief wracked his thin frame. One hand was braced against the wall as he struggled to stay upright; his legs shook beneath him as he quaked, half-crawling along._

_He tried—futilely—to push the source of his misery from his mind. _Their_ voices, as the one thing in his life that had brought him joy abandoned him forever to rot in this darkness._

_He wanted to rip the pitiful remains of his heart from his chest, tear it out with his own hands—anything to relieve himself of the horrible agony that was ripping him apart._

_He had _loved_ her. He had loved her more deeply and more truly than anything in this pitiful world—more than his own life. The true angel, pure and kind and gentle and beautiful in every single way…and now she was gone from him forever._

_His beautiful Christine. His Angel of Music. Gone._

_He finally sank down into his throne as the first flickers of torchlight began to flash on the walls, the first faint strains of hateful voices began to echo in his ears._

Let them come_, he thought._ There is nothing left for me here.

He pulled the cloak over himself as his vision blurred farther. His limbs refused to lift, and an overwhelming weariness trapped him where he was. Helpless.

_As his vision began to darken, he let his eyes slide shut. He simply did not care._

If this is death…then so be it.

Let this world be done with me…


	5. Hollyleaf Ponders

**A/N: Double update! Hopefully this can make up for the obscene amount of time I left this story sitting here :P**

* * *

_He awoke to pain throbbing in his limbs and the sound of dripping water in his ears. Slowly, he blinked open one yellow eye, and then the other. He didn't know what he expected to see before him. But what he did not expect to see was the face of a cold, damp rock wall before him. He blinked in surprise, drawing back slightly. As he did, a wave of sickness washed over him, and he listed to one side. He caught himself with one hand, gritting his teeth together as his stomach roiled. For some reason, his arms felt…strange. They bent strangely when he tried to move—were they broken, perhaps? No, not broken—the pain that throbbed in his limbs was not nearly enough to be caused by a broken bone._

_But it was as he tried to stand once more that he heard something shift in the darkness. He went absolutely rigid where he was, his breath catching in his throat._

_He was not alone in the darkness._

_The sound of footsteps on stone echoed through the small cavern—at least, he supposed it was a cavern of some sort. But the footsteps were very odd as well—there were too many sounds for it to be one person. Perhaps two—_

_It was then that the figure rounded the corner. It moved in a strange way—hunched over and moving on all fours, like some great beast as walked. Suddenly it stopped in its tracks, turning its face towards him. He froze where he was, mid-way into an attempted standing position as it turned huge green eyes on him with surprise._

_The figure—whoever or whatever it was—let out a gasp of air. "Are you all right?" it asked. The figure lurched towards him, and he acted without thinking. He lunged forward, striking out with one hand in attempt to push it away. He felt his fist connect and heard a grunt of pain, but he turned and fled down the corridor without waiting for it to respond._

_Had he been in a clearer state of mind, he would have noticed that when the creature in the darkness spoke, though he understood, he would have realized that the tongue it spoke in was not human. Had he been in his right state of mind, he would have realized that his legs refused to support his weight—that they would not allow him to walk upright and would force him to move on all fours. He would have realized that his clothing had been replaced by a ragged coat of dark fur._

_Had he been in his right state of mind, he would have realized he was no longer human at all._

_But he was not in his right state of mind. His head was pounding furiously as he ran through the tunnels. He was incredibly confused; he knew not where he was, nor who or what had brought him there. And hanging over and through it all was a churning cloud of thought and emotion: anger, pain, fear, fatigue…grief. Pure instinct drove him on, drove him to run and escape from whatever fate the thing in the corridor would bestow on him._

_He simply ran blindly through the darkness of the tunnels, whirling around corners and charging up passageways with reckless abandon. He nearly cracked his head against the walls many times, but he did not care. He simply continued to run._

_Finally, after what seemed like ages, he staggered to a halt, limbs shaking and gasping for air. He could run no farther. Not far away from him, a gaping crevasse in the cave wall yawned wide like the opening of a huge mouth. Too exhausted to do much more, he crawled into it on his hands and knees and curled himself into a ball. His thoughts were too muddled by fatigue to do much else._

_As his mind spiraled back down into oblivion, one last thought managed to steal into his dazed mind._

_A single image of his Christine…_

* * *

Hollyleaf winced again as she felt pain shoot up her foreleg. She must have landed harder than she thought. But she shook the pain off and stumbled through the thorn tunnel and back into the camp. The moment she was inside, every head lifted to stare at her. She ignored their stares, simply walking as best she could into the camp with her head held high.

There was a rustle, and Jayfeather's head emerged from the medicine den. The thin gray tabby sniffed the air, then pulled himself out of the cave in the rock. "Hollyleaf," he greeted, sounding relieved. Hollyleaf smiled at her brother as he approached. "Hello, Jayfeather," she purred warmly.

"Lionblaze said you fell into the tunnels," he said.

Hollyleaf nodded. "I'm fine now," she told him as her brother began to sniff her over. "Just a little pain in my shoulder. It doesn't feel too bad."

Her brother grunted as he sniffed her shoulder. "It doesn't _seem_ too bad," he said. "If it gets worse, come see me."

The black cat nodded. "Thank you, Jayfeather," she told him.

As her brother turned to leave, two more cats emerged from the warriors' den. Lionblaze looked relieved to see his sister as well, smiling as he loped over to her. Brambleclaw followed not far behind. "You're back," Lionblaze said cheerfully, giving his sister a friendly flick with his tail.

Hollyleaf couldn't help but smile again. "I'm _fine_, Lionblaze," she told him. "First Jayfeather, now you…soon I'll have the whole Clan swarming over to see how I am!"

The large tom simply shrugged. "Is it wrong to want to make sure my sister is all right?"

She didn't answer. Brambleclaw dipped his head to her as he joined them. Though his expression was stonier than her siblings, she could see relief in his gaze as well. "Welcome back, Hollyleaf," he said evenly. "Firestar would like to speak with you in his den."

Hollyleaf nodded. She padded past her step-father and siblings, hauling herself up onto the Highledge. She winced as her shoulder spiked again, but ignored the pain and shook out her pelt, padding into the ThunderClan leader's den.

Firestar was curled up in his nest, but he rose into a sitting position as she entered, dipping her head. "Hello, Hollyleaf," her grandfather greeted. "Brambleclaw told me about what happened earlier." He shifted. "He told me that you also found a rogue-scent that seemed to be coming from the tunnels."

Hollyleaf nodded slowly.

"I'm curious…did you manage to find anything else about the rogue?"

It was then that Hollyleaf hesitated. It would be hard to explain how she'd found out so much about the strange cat in the tunnels without having to explain about Fallen Leaves as well. And would Firestar leave the rogue in peace if she explained about it? Especially after learning about what Sol planned to do in the tunnels…

So Hollyleaf took a deep breath. "I found traces of a rogue scent in the tunnels," she said. "But I didn't see or hear anything else other than that."

Firestar tilted his head. But then he nodded his head. "Very well, then," the ThunderClan leader said. "Thank you, Hollyleaf. You may go now."

She nodded in return, then turned to leave with a dip of her head. As she hopped down the rocks to the ground below, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt about lying to her leader. But she couldn't have explained all her knowledge away so easily. And if Firestar chose to go after the rogue…

She had no idea whether or not the strange cat she'd glimpsed in the tunnels was friendly or not, or what he meant for the Clans. But she knew that, during her own self-imposed exile, she hadn't meant any harm to the Clans. All she'd wanted to do was live in peace, away from her family. If this rogue wanted the same thing, then she couldn't let him be driven out. Not yet, anyways.

But for now, Hollyleaf felt like she was going to drop to the ground from fatigue. So she trudged into the warriors' den and sank gratefully into her nest. It wasn't long before sleep enveloped her once more and she sank into blissful darkness.

* * *

Hollyleaf had never noticed the unseeing stare that followed her all the way back to the den. Jayfeather stared blindly at the place where Hollyleaf had disappeared. A crease appeared in his brow as he turned back to his herbs.

Something was definitely off about Hollyleaf. He couldn't put his paw on what…but something told him that something else had happened in the tunnels. But for now, he would leave his sister be. If she wanted to tell him anything, she would do so on her time and not his.

But he couldn't help but shiver. He'd been having a very odd feeling all day—his pelt had stood on end at the slightest of sounds, and he'd jumped every time a cat had entered his den.

Somehow, he couldn't shake the feeling that StarClan was trying to tell him something. Something important…


End file.
